Agricultural implement.



No. 694,088. Patented Feb. 25; 1902-.

E. a. aowmxn. AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT. m 1; nflled July 11 1901 (Nollodel.)

a. Q 5, w. m mm.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERIC G. BOWMAN, OF MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS.

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 694,088, dated February25, 1902.

Application filed July 11, 1901,

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERIC G. BOWMAN, a citizen of the United'States,residing at Monmouth, in the county of Warren and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Agricultural Implement, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to agricultural implements, and particularly to agarden-tool adapted for removing dandelion, plantain, and other plantsor weeds from a lawn by severing the stalks thereof at a point close tobut below the surface of the soil in order that the life of the plantmay be destroyed Without upturning or destroying the appearance of thesurface; and a further object of the invention is to provide a device ofthis class whereby the severed top of the plant is grasped to permit thesame to be conveyed to a receptacle without neccssitatin g the manualgrasping thereof by the operator and without necessitatinga subsequentcollecting operation, such as raking.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters representcorresponding parts in all the figures, and the novel features thereofwill be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it beingunderstood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a preferredembodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side View of the'same, showingthe movable jaw in its closed position. Fig. 3 is an end view of thejawsas seen when closed. Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of thehead detached. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View through the jaw on theplane indicated by the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

The implement embodying the invention consists, essentially, of a head1, having a handle or shaft 2 attached thereto, a pivotal jaw '3,mounted for cooperation with the head, and operating means 4 for themovable jaw.

It is desirable in an implement of this class to construct a head ofcomparatively restrict- Serial No. 67,928- (No model.)

ed lateral dimensions, so that the projection laterally beyond the lineof the shaft or handle 2 may be small to avoid obstructing the View ofthe operator and enable the latter to accurately direct the operativeedge or extremity of the tool. Hence in practice it is preferred toprovide the head with a handle-socket 5 and form the cutting-jaw 6 as acontinuation of the socket and in approximate alinement therewith, thelateral edges of the jaw projecting bu t slightly beyond thecorresponding walls of the socket. As shown in Fig. 4, the head may beconstructed of a single blank of plate metal to provide at anintermediate point a reduced portion 7, forming a neck, beyond which arearranged lateral projecting cars, which when folded or rolled inwardconstitute the abovedescribod socket for the reception of the extremityof the handle. Also the forward edges of these ears are preferably cutaway to allow the holding-jaw 3, which is pivotally mounted by means ofthe boltSin a slot 9 of the handle, to swing downward therebetween. Thuswhen the movablejaw is in itslowered or closed position, as shown inFig. 2, that portion of the same which is in the slot of the handle liesbetween the adjacent edges of the ears forming the socket to enable theears to resist any lateral strain which may be applied to the movablejaw, and thus prevent the splitting of the handle. It is preferred toflatten the blade or cutting-jaw slightly be low the socket 5; but acurved contour is preserved to maintain a transversely-concave frontface and a correspondingly-convexed rear face, said blade terminating ina curved cutting edge, which isadapted in the use of the implement to beforced int-o the soil to a point slightly below the surface thereof inorder to sever the stalk of the plant or weed just below the surface,this operation usually having the efiect of destroying the life of theplant.

The cooperating element of the implement, consisting of the movable jaw3, is provided with a blade portion 10, which corresponds in width withthe blade portion of the head 1 and is provided with'a convexed innerrear face and a correspondingly-curved lower edge which agrees with thecurvature of the forward or innerface of the blade 6 and is adapted whensaid movable jaw is in its closed position to fit too snugly and evenlyagainst the inner face of the blade 6 at a point slightly above thecutting edgethereof,asindicatedin Fig.2. Preferably the movable jaw isconstructed of a blank of metal struck from a plate, with a reducedportion or stem 11, which is disposed with its width perpendicular tothat of the blade portion 10, a quarter-twist being formed at 12 toprovide for this relative arrangement of parts. The object in thusarranging the stem of the movable jaw is twofoldnamely, first, to givethe operator a comparatively unobstructed view of the operative end ofthe cuttingblade 6, and, second, to arrange the strength of the stem inthe plane of strain when the implement is in use. The stem, moreover, iscurved or of arcuate form to dispose the broadened extremity 10 in adownwardlyconvergeut relation with the blade 6 when the parts are in aclosed position, as indicated in Fig. 2, the only point of approachbeing the lowerextremity of the portion 10,whereby there is a parallelwidening space from this point of contact to provide for the receptionofthe portion of the engaged plant above the point of severance. Hencewhen the stalk of the plant has been cut the upper portion thereof isretained between the holding-jaw 3 and the cutting-jaw 1, and theoperator is enabled to lift the severed portion and deposit it in abasket or other suitable receptacle, thus avoiding the necessity, aswith other devices of this class, of dropping the severed portion andsubsequently gathering the same by means of a rake or its equivalent.The extremity of the stem 11, which projects rearwardly beyond the shaft2, is connected with an operating device consisting in the constructionillustrated of a slide-rod extending through a guide 13 and having aterminal grip 14, arranged near the upper or grip end of the handle.

In operation the movable jaw, which will remain either in its open orclosed position as it may be set by the operator, (no springs or similardevice being employed in connection with the implement,) should bethrown back or into an open position, and this enables the operator todirect the cutting end of the blade 6 into the soil at a point adjacentto the stalk of the plant to be removed and at an inclination which willstrike the stalk a short distance below the surface of the ground.Having thus adjusted the head, the operating means t should be drawn toclose the movable jaw into contact with the plant and at the same timethe tool should be advanced slightly by pressure on the grip end of thehandle to cause the cutting edge of the blade to sever the stalk. Themovable jaw may then be held in its closed position while the implementis withdrawn to deposit the plant or weed in the desired receptacle.

While a preferred use of the implement has been described herein, itwill be understood that the same may be applied to any other analogoususe wherein the two operations of cutting and subsequently handling thesevered portion are required, or even when the first-named operation ofcutting may be dispensed with, as the tool constitutes a convenientmeans of pulling small weeds simply by engaging the stalk thereofbetween the movable jaw and the convexed jaw without re sorting to thecutting operation.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A garden-toolcomprising a slotted handle, a blade curved in cross-section and havingat its lower end a transverse cutting edge and at its upper end anintegral socket adapted for the reception of the handle, a pivoted jawhaving a widened clamping-face of a contour similar to that of the bladeand having an integral transversely-reduced stein adapted to passthrough the slot in the handle and affording an unobstructed view of thelower end of the blade, at pivot-pin for securing the stern in positionin the slot, and an operatinghandle connected to the rear portion ofsaid stem, substantially as specified.

2. A garden-tool comprising a head pro vided at one end with a socketportion consisting of rolled ears of which the extremities are arrangedin proximity, a movable jaw having a transversely-reduced stem, a handlefitted in said socket and having a slot in which the stem of the jaw ispivotally mounted, said stem in the closed position of the jaw occupyinga position between the upper portions of the ears forming said socketand being laterally supported thereby, and means for actuating themovable jaw.

3. A garden-tool comprisingablade having at its upper end a socketportion consisting of rolled ears of which the extreme end portions areslightly separated, and provided at its lower ends with a sharpenedcutting edge 6 adapted to cut the roots of a plant slightly below thesurface of the ground, a handle 2 fitted within said socket and having aslot 9, a movable holding-jaw comprising a transversely-reduced stem 11extending through said slot, a bolt 8 carried by the handle and forminga pivot for said stem, the lower end of said jaw being provided with awidened convex face for engagement with the concaved face of the blade,a slide-rod 4: connected at its lower end to the stem of the movable jawand having at its upper end a handle or grip 14, and guides 13 carriedby the handle for engagement with said slide-rod, substantially asspecified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses. a

ERIC G". BOWMAN.

Witnesses:

FRANK M. WEIR, M. M. BOWMAN.

